Federal appeals court backs 2010 layoffs of CPS teachers

April 20, 2012|By Joel Hood | Tribune reporter

(Tribune illustration)

The federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a February ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court, ruling that Chicago Public Schools did not violate the rights of tenured teachers when the district laid off nearly 750 of them during sweeping staff reductions in 2010.

The appellate court’s decision essentially reaffirmed the earlier ruling that the Illinois School Code does not give laid-off tenured teachers a right to be rehired nor the right to call for certain procedures during the layoff process.

“This ruling preserves the fundamental principles of legislation giving principals authority to make staffing decisions based solely on the best interests of their students and their schools,” CPS officials said in a released statement.

CPS maintained it was not required to reinstate laid-off teachers or negotiate recall procedures with the union, but the union said CPS must recall “unlawfully” fired teachers.

Budget cuts forced CPS to layoff almost 1,300 teachers in 2010. Many have already found new jobs within CPS.